


Lost in the City

by AndeliaMaddock



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Blueblood, Friendship, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-19
Updated: 2012-04-19
Packaged: 2017-11-03 22:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/386853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndeliaMaddock/pseuds/AndeliaMaddock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat hasn't had his life interrupted by Sgrub yet. In fact, the only thing interrupting his life at the present is his own growing hatred for himself and others. That, and his hatred for navigating cities. Who would have thought getting to 2222 22nd street, apartment 222 would be so gogdamn difficult?</p><p>Not only is it a long walk to even get to the city, but he keeps getting lost and he can't find a single gogdamn number to help him figure out where he's at.</p><p>As if that's not all bad enough, his increasingly foul mouth gets him pegged as a lowblood and he manages to piss off a determined highblood who stalks him through the city to teach him 'manners'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost in the City

Karkat dragged his bag on the ground behind him. Walking. Walking was so dumb. He hated walking so much! And worse! He was kind of... lost.

But he didn't care! He'd find a good spot to stop and figure out where he was. 22nd street couldn't be too far away when you were on Glubberton St. He'd just find a number and follow it along until he could get to 22nd. 

He heaved a bit and tugged his bag back up onto his shoulders. One step, one more step, he could keep stepping along until he found a numbered street. It wasn't that hard. Even a tiny baby wiggler—which he was most certainly not!-- could find the place!

Nine more blocks and he still couldn't find even one fricking number! Karkat almost considered asking directions. More than once someone pushed past him on the busy street and he almost asked them where they were going and if they knew how he could get to 22nd. But trolls you didn't know weren't trolls you should trust. Some were good, sure, but for the most part you were wise not to trust it.

Three more blocks passed and he found himself back on Glubberton St. Tears began to well up in his eyes and he quickly ducked into an alley to wipe them away. It was not fair! He'd walked so long. How had he gotten so turned around he was on the same fucking street?! 

Karkat all but collapsed against a tall building. He curled up with his bag in front of chest, pulled tight to his body. Tears were falling and he couldn't let anyone see how much of a freak he was. He couldn't! He'd be culled in addition to being lost! No no no no this was the worst. He hated everything!

It was the stupidest idea, trying to get to the city and see Sollux. The stupidest idea and why had he even gotten it in his head to surprise Sol?

He was going to die here in the middle of the city, probably not even that far from Sollux's apartment building, and then he was going to never be heard from again and his friends wouldn't even care for long because they were terrible and he was so upset and-

“Who are you? Young crying one, tell me who you are.”

Karkat stiffened and tried to push his face closer to the bag to wipe the damning tears away. 

“Who are you? Tell me now. ”

He grunted and buried his face in his arms. “Frick off!”

“Such foul language is not suitable for those in my ranking. You must be a lowblood. I should have you culled for speaking to me in such a harsh manner.”

Shoot! Karkat turned his body a bit and tried to carefully wipe away the remnants of his tears. He never should have left his hive. Never! After a few shaky breaths, he looked up at the other. He wasn't so large, probably not more than a sweep or two older than Karkat himself was. But that was enough that Karkat didn't want to mess around with it. “Just please leave me alone, ok? I'm lost and I don't want any trouble, I just want to find my friend!”

Black lips curled up and the other advanced. “You're lost, so you take to crying in the alleys?”

Yes, he needed how pathetic he was outlined. That was just what he wanted. Karkat sighed and inhaled slowly. Slow inhales. Breathe deeply. Don't irritate someone bigger and 'higher' when they might be able to see tears still if they got too close. Karkat wiped at his face again, to make sure the remnants really were gone. Maybe it was too dark to see? He could hope.

“I asked a question. You get lost, so you cry in alleys instead of doing something about it? No wonder we're higher than you lowbloods, we actually take action.”

Don't scream. Don't scream. “Apparently I do.” His claws were digging into his palms, but better that than opening his mouth wide enough to shout all the abuse he wanted to do. “I am looking for 22nd Street. Do you know where it is?” Calm. Calm. Calm. He didn't have to scream. He didn't. 

“I don't like that tone.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I ask nicely and you still don't like my tone? I am doing my best to be good and ask you! What, am I supposed to bow and kiss your feet and then beg for directions? Fuck you and your 'highblood' stupidity!”

Whoops.

If this one was anything like Equius, there wasn't going to be much of a chance to live long after that. Not unless he ran. He dropped his bag. He couldn't have the excess bulk.

Karkat was surprisingly not as tired and worn out as he'd imagined. Sure, his breathing organs burned with each inhalation and exhalation of the city air, and his arm and leg muscles ached with each motion, but he didn't notice as much as he might have. 

He could hear quick steps behind him, but he didn't care. He'd outrun the stupid jerk! He would! Just a block ahead there was a large crowd of trolls. It looked like a market of some sort. No better place to lose a hot headed highblood than a market, right?

Dodging and weaving, he found it wasn't long before he couldn't see the highblood anywhere around. Noises and faces blurred near him, but none of them had that black lined scowl etched as firmly as the highblood who'd chased after him. He was probably safe for the moment-

Claws dug into his shoulder. No! No no no! “Let me go! Let me go, I didn't mean it! Gog damn, let me go!” He spun and moved to punch at his aggressor. 

Another set of claws caught his own hand and he found that the other was definitely a lot older and a lot stronger than him. The highblood forced him to back into another alley.

He called out, trying to get help, trying to get someone's attention.

No one cared. What a surprise.

A few people looked on with sympathy, but they certainly weren't going to help out. No, why would they? He was just some tiny troll no one liked except his friends, and none of them were even here. He was going to die and Sollux wouldn't even know that it was because Karkat had been stupid and wanted to hang out with Sollux.

Tears threatened to fall, but this time Karkat would force them back. He would not allow them to break free and give away his mutation. His freakish identity could not be shown.

Not that it would matter. It was only a matter of time before the highblood forced his blood to fall and then...

His back scraped against a building wall. Another alley way. Perfect. That was just what he needed. “Let me go! Let me go I didn't mean it!” He did. He meant every word, even if it meant he'd get hurt from it. He hated entitled highbloods. He hated them!

“I don't think I will. I think it's time someone older and wiser show you the error of your ways.”

Oh Gog. Oh Gog. Karkat let out a scream and kicked at the highbloods right ankle. Then another kick. He wrenched his right hand free, punched the other in the gut. He was quick enough, the other didn't seem to know how to react. Probably no one ever fought back. Probably no one dared.

He pulled away and started to run again. The sidewalk jutted at an angle and too late he noticed. His shoes caught on cement. Karkat launched forward and skinned his knees through his jeans. Hands fumbled and he tried to push himself back up.

A heavy body moved onto him. Hot breath burned at his ear. “You're going to regret being spawned. I will ensure that.”

Karkat wouldn't even get to reach his best friend. He wouldn't even get to turn five sweeps. He was going to die here and it was because his stupid mouth offended the stupid fricking highblood!

Fine! Fine! Karkat took a deep breath, sucking in as much unclean air as he could. “I'm ah. I'm sorry.” 

He grunted at the punch to his ribs. Not hard enough to crack them, but hard enough to make this even worse of a day. 

Sorry didn't work. Highbloods were all terrible. Of course it didn't work. The only highblood who was worth anything was Gam, and maybe Fef too. And they weren't the ones punching him in the side. 

Soon blood would flow. Soon he'd be found to be a mutant and he'd be culled. Something had to work! He couldn't be cut down this easily! 

Fight or flight. Flight hadn't worked. 

Fighting it was. Another deep breath. He bucked up and rolled over to the side, taking the other with him. He shifted his body and moved his claws up to the highblood's face. He gouged deep scratches from the temple, down the cheeks to the jawline, leaving his fingertips stained blue.

Karkat felt claws dig into his shirt and past some skin on ribs, then they fell back and moved up to protect the highblood's face.

Here was his chance. With great effort, he forced himself to stand and kept on running until it felt like he would collapse. Then he ran further, further and further, until he didn't even look to the signs anymore. He just let his feet thunder against the sidewalks. He could feel their stares. He could feel their stares, all around him, pressing into him. They didn't know he was a mutant, maybe, but it felt like they all could tell. It felt like everyone knew. Each heartbeat resounded in his mind. If he bled, they would see. They would know his darkest secret and his deepest shame.

He turned a corner and slammed into a metal pole. Karkat growled and shoved against the pole, enraged. It didn't matter if it was irrational to be angry at a pole. That wasn't the point. The point was the pole had the nerve to be where he was-- “Oh my Gog, 12th street!”

Fricking luck though. Ten more blocks.

Karkat shut his eyes and took in more heavy breaths. He'd clean up in a public restroom, then he'd head on out and find the apartment building on 22nd street. 2222 22nd street, apartment 222. Sollux was so gogdamn predictable. And horribly thematic. Karkat didn't mind though, not normally. He complained about it, sure, but he didn't mind. At least it was easy to remember the address.

Karkat stilled and took a moment to take in his surroundings. There was a restaurant. They would have a bathroom. He darted in and made it over, quick as could be, to the door. He locked it behind him and did his best to clean himself up and keep his blood from staining anything and being too obvious.

Cleaned and feeling less like someone was going to beat him up and have him culled, he slunk out of a public restroom and headed right back on the path to Sollux's apartment. It wouldn't be that difficult. It wouldn't. 

It was. Halfway down the block to get to 18th, he saw the blueblood with several others. They didn't seem to spot him, so he stepped into another alley and caught his breath. 

Maybe if he worked to the other side of the alley and was on the street to the side, he could follow it along and then get to 22nd that way?

Fuck, he heard footsteps. Was it them? No time! Karkat grabbed onto a dumpster top, pushed the lid up, and climbed in. He carefully closed the lid over himself, sealing himself in with the filth.

Disgusting! Grub sauce that had been out for too long seemed to coat the walls of the dumpster with its invasive stickiness and stench. A trash bag that smelled like rotten sopor burst with his movements. Karkat almost threw up, but he had to hold it in. But breathing in the smell was like breathing acid; it burned his nostrils and he couldn't breath it long without a danger to his health. He slowly shifted forward and tipped the lid up an inch, just enough to get deep breaths.

Then he heard that familiar voice. “I saw him. I know he went this way.”

Fuck fuck fuck no please no. Karkat shifted and turned his nose down a bit, so he could watch them as they passed.

No one would be crazy enough to get in a dumpster, so they wouldn't check, right?

Please!

Their footsteps paused.

Oh Gog no.

Please. Please please let them go on.

Nothing. Nothing. Did they see him? Oh Gog.

“He's not in this alley any longer. I won't let him get away.”

Thank Gog. Their footsteps kept on and he waited another minute before he pushed the top up. The light in the alley was weak, but strong enough that he could see he was absolutely filthy. Disgusting.

No matter. He crawled out of the dumpster and brushed himself off as good as he could. Not that it got the slime off. He didn't even have his bag to change into more clothes. Karkat sighed and kept on. Sollux would make fun of him, probably. But he would be safe. Just another few blocks. If he kept to the side he'd been on before, it wouldn't be long at all before he got to 22nd.

More staring, of course. That was obviously what he needed. He definitely wanted everyone judging him and finding him more repulsive than he found himself. No, scratch that. Lately? Lately, he'd learned just how horrible he actually was. No one could find him more repulsive than he found his own mutant self.

But at least he'd be around Sollus soon and he wouldn't have to worry so much. Sollux was probably his size, so he could just use some of his clothes and he could get clean in Sollux's ablution trap and he could eat because he'd been too stupid to pack a lunch or dinner and he was starving and...

22nd looked just like every other street. Tall buildings and busy young trolls moving by at quick paces. They all gave him a wide berth though, and he was thankful for that. It made walking the sidewalk easier. 2222. Well, he was in the early 3000s. Not the shortest distance to walk, but he could do it!

Except moving towards the 2000s brought him closer to the street that had the blueblood and his friends on it.

Shitstained wiggling fuckasses!

Fine. Fine. He was fine. He'd work around it! He could do this. One foot in front of the other and he would go around. 23rd street it was. Yes, that was just fine. He'd just cut back and...

OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOG.

Street construction! The building drones worked fast, but not fast enough to keep it from being a huge hindrance to him. Even pedestrians had a hard time. He had no time for this nonsense!

He kept onward and forward and made it to 24th street, then continued and ducked back onto 22nd street.

Finally. Finally he found it. He didn't even see the blueblood's friends anywhere! Karkat swallowed and pushed past the front door and worked his way through the lobby to the elevator. Level 10. Heh. That had to kill Sollux every time he saw it. That wasn't a two at all.

Karkat smiled, barely, and relaxed against the wall. Soft music played and while normally it might work him into a rage, he didn't mind it so much. He was safe. He had found the right building. He had done it, without the help of that stupid fucking blueblood. He didn't need highbloods. Most of them were good for nothing pieces of--

Ding? Ok. Ok, he was on the right floor or-- no, no this was only the 8th floor. The door opened and Karkat stared at some strange troll trying to get on. What did they want? Didn't they know he was trying to get to the 10th floor? They could get their own elevator!

He scowled at the other troll and crossed his arms.

The other troll scowled right back and took a step back, waving a hand in front of his face. “Gross!”

The door shut and Karkat remained alone. 

Good. 

It didn't even take long to make it to the right apartment. He took another deep breath, then pressed a single claw to the doorbell.

He almost managed to give Sollux a smile when he first saw his four horned friend. Almost. He couldn't look too eager though, because he was cooler than that.

“Oh my Gog, KK, you smell so bad.” The lisp sounded and it took Karkat a moment to realize what had just been said.

Moment over, Karkat shoved past Sollux and made his way into the apartment. “Whatever! Do you know what I had to go through to get here? I'm using your ablution trap and you're letting me borrow clothes and then we're going to celebrate your sweepday with enough food to get rid of this stupid ache in my guts. The food ache at least. Stupid gogdamn highbloods!”

Stupid Sollux was smirking. Stupid Sollux.

“What?!”

“Heh heh nothing. Ablution trap's through that door. Towels are in the wall chamber beside the sink. I can get you some clothes too. I'll leave them outside the door.”

“Thanks.” He hurried on through, slammed the door shut behind himself, and sunk down onto the ablution chamber rim. 

This was not how he envisioned his first meeting with his best friend going. But he'd make the fricking best of it! He would.

Karkat took another deep breath and tried to keep the tears at bay.

Oh jegus.

He did stink. A lot. Karkat tore the remains of his clothes away and shoved them into the hamper. Before long he was clean and feeling fresh. He pulled a towel on, but he couldn't go around in just a towel. He had some clearly red-blooded cuts and he couldn't allow Sollux to see. Carefully, he opened the door to see if the clothes were there.

Success! Karkat snatched them up and in record time he was dressed and heading into the nearby open door that lead to Sollux's bedroom.”Hey. I'm clean now.”

Sollux swiveled around to face Karkat. He leaned back in his chair and grinned wide up at Karkat. “Oh man, looks like there's two of me now. That's awesome, best sweepday present I could get. Though, really, we should make you another pair of horns, those little stubs kind of kill the illusion. Heh heh.”

Karkat crossed his arms, “I would have changed into my own clothes, but I kind of... I lost them.”

“Looks like you got in a fight with a blender and, obviously, lost.”

“At least I'm alive! You have no idea what it took to get here!”

“Maybe if you had told me you were coming, I would have met up with you someplace?” That grin was wide and it showed a the two teeth missing in the front.

Karkat grit his own teeth and stalked forward. “Whatever.”

“Probably don't have a present for me either, since you lost your bag?”

“Is that all you care about?”

“Obviously. I mean, you're only my best friend and we're finally meeting face to face. I clearly care more about the present you could have sent in the mail than I do about meeting and talking to you. Clearly.” Sollux pushed out of his chair and crossed the room.

Karkat bristled, but allowed the hug. His own arms felt sore and tense, but he managed to move them up, just enough to wrap around Sollux and hug back. “I...”

“Shhh, come on. I don't care about a present. Let's just hang out. Was feeling kind of bad that no one could hang out with me on my sweepday. Glad at least you fixed that. Thanks KK.”

Karkat did let the smile come, this time. “I guess you're welcome. But don't expect it every sweep. It was horrible getting here!”

“OK, KK. Heh. Come on, take a seat and I can beat you at two or a few of my games.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” He lunged for Sollux's seat and took off spinning in a circle. Each time he faced Sollux again he was wearing a defiant grin.

Sollux grinned right back, then launched for the seat and onto Karkat's lap.

Karkat didn't know how long it had been since he'd laughed, but he liked it. All of his body hurt, but laughing made it hurt just a little less.

**Author's Note:**

> so I wrote this for someone on tumblr, a2kliitle2ollux.tumblr.com. I blame them. I mean, they didn't ask for it, so really, it's all my fault, but that's beside the point.
> 
> Find me at andeliam.tumblr.com if you want more.


End file.
